Nicki Minaj is standing her ground.
The rapper appeared on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle on Friday, September 18, where she addressed the criticism she has faced over her public support for President Donald Trump and her decision to work with his administration.
“I am honored to be able to have an opportunity to work with this administration and to work with President Trump,” Minaj, 43, told host Laura Ingraham. “He has inspired many people, not just me. And he’s — he’s fun.”
“I Just Love Him”
Minaj went on to explain why she feels a personal connection to the president, describing him as smart, grounded, and easy to relate to.
“He’s not just smart, and, you know, he’s not just the president,” she said. “But he’s also someone that I can relate to. Someone that, you know, every time I see him, or every time I see him speaking to other people, he’s just himself. He’s very — he’s very grounded. It’s easy to connect with him. It’s easy to feel like he heard you; he understands you. And I just — I just love him. And I’m not going to ever make excuses for that.”
“Absolutely Nothing” for the Critics
When Ingraham asked whether she had anything to say to the critics of her working with the sitting president, Minaj didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely nothing,” she responded. “I don’t know why I should.”
The comments mark one of Minaj’s most direct responses yet to the backlash she has received since aligning herself with the administration.
A Judge on Trump’s Pitch Competition
Minaj’s appearance comes after the announcement that she has been selected as a judge for the president’s Million Dollar Pitch Competition, a $1 million small-business pitch competition set to take place in Washington. Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia was also tapped as a judge for the final round, while actor Dean Cain was picked to host.
The rapper previously told TIME earlier this year that she is President Trump’s “No. 1 fan.”
“Many celebrities feel the way I do,” she said at the time. “But they don’t say it. Sometimes you just need one brave person to get the brunt of the impact. I think I am the catalyst for that change.”
Why She Speaks Out
Minaj has also explained what she believes drove her to become vocal about her support. In a recent appearance on The Katie Miller Podcast, she said that watching the criticism aimed at Trump reminded her of the treatment she feels she has endured throughout her own career.
“I felt that that had been done to me for so many years, and I was watching it in real time happen to someone else, and I didn’t think he deserved it,” Minaj said. “And it made me think, I can’t do this anymore.”
She has said she began paying closer attention to Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign, and she named religious freedom as an issue that matters deeply to her.
Minaj told TIME that she had been disappointed by former President Barack Obama’s two-term presidency and frustrated by what she described as an expectation that Black performers vote for Democratic candidates.